Cybercrime backlog 'a significant risk' to RCMP, internal audit warns

The internal audit of the RCMP's technological crime program found a backlog of requests to analyze computing devices at all five of the program's units. (file image)

The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, January 29, 2013 2:33PM CST
Last Updated Tuesday, January 29, 2013 2:34PM CST

OTTAWA -- A newly released audit says rising cybercrime has left the RCMP program that investigates everything from child pornography to online fraud with a backlog that poses a significant risk to its work.

The internal audit of the RCMP's technological crime program found a backlog of requests to analyze computing devices at all five of the program's units.

It called for immediate attention to address the backlog.

The audit was completed last February but only recently made public by the police force.

The Mounties say while the federal cyber-security strategy announced in 2010 provided money for administrative help, there was none for front-line investigators.

Since the audit, the RCMP has put in place a new system for prioritizing cybercrime case files.